Syria's interior ministry announced yesterday that 89.4 per centof voters had approved a new government-proposed constitution in areferendum held on Sunday that would limit the presidency of Basharal-Assad and impose multi-party elections. But at the same time asthe results were being announced, opposition activists reported afresh onslaught against Homs.

Despite the seemingly impressive result – there has been no
independent verification – the government in Damascus conceded that
57.4 per cent of voters had bothered, or had been able, to cast
their ballots. The result, if adopted, will allow President Assad
to stay in power for another 16 years.

The referendum result was followed last night by news that the
Red Cross had entered Homs but had failed to recover a number of
injured journalists who have been trapped, short of medical
supplies, for nearly a week. They include the Sunday Times
photographer Paul Conroy.

Three injured civilians were evacuated from the Baba Amr
district in ambulances operated by the organisation's local
affiliate, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. But the Red Cross later
confirmed that neither the journalists nor the bodies of their dead
counterparts, Marie Colvin of The Sunday Times and French
photographer Rémi Ochlik, had been removed, adding that the reason
was unknown.

Another violent day began in Syria even before the referendum
results were announced. According to the London-based activist
group Avaaz, troops loyal to the Assad regime had begun a major
ground invasion of the Inasha'at neighbourhood of Homs in the early
morning, moving in with tanks. Inasha'at is close to the opposition
stronghold of Baba Amr and has already seen about 80 per cent of
its population flee the fighting. At least 21 people were killed
yesterday in Homs, according to activists.

"They are using all kinds of weapons to hit us," said Adnan
Maree, 28, a lawyer speaking from Baba Amr. "In my neighbourhood,
they are using shock bombs to collapse buildings. We are not
seeking [foreign] governments' help. Now we are talking to the
people of those countries."

An increasing number of activists are being vocally critical of
the West for doing little to intervene in the crisis, which is
quickly becoming a civil war. The European Union did move yesterday
and imposed new sanctions on Syria, freezing the assets of the
country's central bank, restricting trade in gold, diamonds and
precious metals, introducing a ban on cargo flights into the EU,
and blacklisting seven individuals close to Mr Assad.

As pressure against the regime increased, the Red Cross was able
to gain access to the city of Hama. Food and other aid was
delivered for 12,000 people. The city, where at least 10,000 people
were killed when regime forces massacred members of the Muslim
Brotherhood in the 1980s, has been hard hit due to its reputation
for dissent.

Yet key international support for the Assad regime remains.
Russia's Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, lashed out at countries
that were holding discussions to arm the Free Syrian Army, saying
he would not support military action in Syria without United
Nations support.

China also spoke out, after comments made by the US Secretary of
State, Hillary Clinton, that Russia and China's vetoing of the UN
Security Council resolutions were "despicable".